What Guys Said 4

You're slowly approaching the time (if you aren't there already) when going to someone's Birthday party or to an Christmas party is not about having fun there and more about having to bring a stupid useless gift and then sit and talk to some family members you have never met and never will met again until next year while the small kids play with their new gifts, some of which you already had to buy.

Well when Christmas comes around we really only go to our Grandmothers place and have cake. All our cousins live in Holland and since I am the youngest I'm never bothered by kids. I actually have fun buying gifts because that means I can wrap them :D

I guess in this case it was because of the circumstances, but generally these things start to lose spark as you grow older. Like at 40 you have already had 39 birthdays, and since then has been 1/40th of your life. When it comes around people might do something special but a lot of people don't get excited about it at that point, it's just part of a yearly routine that they might enjoy. And for Christmas, its a family holiday. If you are hosting, then that is a lot of work and stress put on you. Also a lot of people tend to get tired after being around their relatives for so long. Plus for both of these, the gifts aren't that big of a deal compared to when your younger, because most likely you have a job and can buy what you want when you want it. Of course this is not true for all cases, but often enough to be noted.